Holiday shopping is here and some people claim they're already done

If you're planning to go holiday shopping, here are some tips to keep you out of the red.

Author:
KPNX Staff

Published:
9:55 PM MST October 3, 2016

Updated:
9:57 PM MST October 3, 2016

We're at the beginning of October and one million people have already finished their holiday shopping and another 34 million have started theirs, according to a new survey.

“We also asked people their view of the holiday shopping season and about three-quarters of the people we asked said they were annoyed that it was starting earlier and earlier,” says Matt Scholz, a senior industry analyst at Creditcards.com.

If you plan on joining the Christmas finisher’s club, here are some tips to keep you out of the red:

-Have a game plan-Check your emotions at the door-Stick to your budget-Hold onto your receipts-Know the store return policies

"One of the interesting things that people might not know is that a lot of credit cards come with what's known as price protection," Scholz said. "If you buy with say, your Citi credit card, you can register that item on a website and then CitiBank will actually keep an eye out for changes to the price of that item, and if the cost goes down in the next 60 or 90 days, you may actually get a little bit a refund for your purchase."

Shopping only with cash can help curb those impulse purchase.

As for Black Friday turnout numbers, they've been fairly similar over the past few years but they're still trending upward slightly.

"We’ve seen these numbers creep up over time and I do think it speaks to people feeling more with their financial situation and their job," Scholz said.